[skyskraper]

what i dont like about my generic 60.40 solder:
it chews through tips
it can be hard to get to reflow without flux
can be a pain to work with unless i get the heat/tip combo right for a particular part/board

what i do like:
i get it for free
its generally pretty good to work with
constantly teaching me about soldering.

to conclude: generic solder can be a ok

i would like to try out some multicore solder, will see if i can get some of that soon

 

[Emon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcrane I doubt that I will even try anything else.

Please tell me you wouldn't use stuff that expensive for anything but high quality audio applications...

 

[PinkFloyd]

I use this stuff It's cheap, flows like water, doesn't smell, isn't messy and makes a beautiful shiny joint.... what more could you ask for?

 

[individual6891]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloyd I use this stuff It's cheap, flows like water, doesn't smell, isn't messy and makes a beautiful shiny joint.... what more could you ask for?

Me too!

I use Antec lead free solder (from maplin) for silver plated parts though.

 

[RickP]

Any eutectic Pb/Sn 37/63 solder with rosin core is all you need.

Ersin and Kester come to mind although I don't know if Ersin is mfgd any more.

IMO, anything else more exotic/expensive is audio snakeoil wrt sonic or electrical performance.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterX Nice gesture Todd. I agree with the notion that once you try it you won't go back to regular solder.... how about you Ed?

Cardas Quadeutectic all the way.

I use Kester Electronic Silver Solder (62% Tin, 36% Lead, 2% Silver, 44 Flux) for SOIC chips like OP Amps, it's much much thinner than Cardas, which just oozes all over the place.

I wish there was a thin version of Cardas with less flux.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickP Any eutectic Pb/Sn 37/63 solder with rosin core is all you need. Ersin and Kester come to mind although I don't know if Ersin is mfgd any more. IMO, anything else more exotic/expensive is audio snakeoil wrt sonic or electrical performance.

Even though I'll bet there won't be a single person here who could hear the difference between solders, there is a big difference in workability of the different solders. You have to actually try the Cardas solder to know what I'm talking about.

-Ed

 

[cetoole]

I use mainly Kester 62/36/2 Silver Solder, I love it, and it is pretty cheap. I will have to try the Cardas sometime, anyone know where it is cheapest?

 

[KZEE]

I've heard that in addition to adhering the parts together, solder's main purpose is to prevent oxidation of the joint. Whether it be interconnect wires being soldered to RCA plugs, or capacitors being attached to circuit boards, or what have you, first and foremost there should be a good physical contact between the surfaces being joined together. Then the solder is flowed into place around that physical contact in order to A) maintain that physical contact, and B) prevent oxidation from taking place in the contact area.
I'm not saying that there can't be audible differences in sound between the various solders that are available, but if there is good solid contact between the parts that were joined together in a soldered joint, then I would think the majority of the electrical signal that passes through that joint would be passing through the physical contact of the parts that were connected to each other, and thus the solder's influence on the electrical signal would be small, leading me to believe that the solder's influence on the sound would also be small.

 

[kilkil]

Parts Connexion has the cardas for $38 a pound.

http://www.partsconnexion.com/catalo...lscleaner.html

 

[mono]

In a perfect world all joints would be mechanical connections. Anyone who's ever worked with protoboard or seen the chinese et al PCBs that don't have thru-hole plating, knows better... not to mention surface-mounted parts. Solder is a mechanical connection and is sufficient in this role unless the part will be load-bearing.

No matter how well you mechanically connect something, a VERY large portion of the electrical conduction could still be through the solder, because no two parts are going to be mirror smooth at the micron level, solder will be a very large contact point that inevitably improves the connection even when there is "sufficient" mechanical connection alone.

Having written that, so long as your solder, iron, surface, etc, are good mates for each other, so long as the solder joint is sound, you should not have any significant differences in electrical conduction based on which solder you choose, including audio quality. BUT, a marginal solder joint can certainly effect this, even if it looks shiney on top.

 

[KZEE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mono In a perfect world all joints would be mechanical connections. Anyone who's ever worked with protoboard or seen the chinese et al PCBs that don't have thru-hole plating, knows better... not to mention surface-mounted parts.

I would suspect that the vast majority of DIY Head-Fiers participating in this thread work with electrical parts that for the most part permit good physical contact between the parts being joined together, and that is what I was addressing in my post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mono No matter how well you mechanically connect something, a VERY large portion of the electrical conduction could still be through the solder, because no two parts are going to be mirror smooth at the micron level...

Solder itself is also not mirror smooth at the micron level, and in electrical joints where one is able to achieve a relatively LARGE area of good physical contact between the parts being soldered together, and providing you don't blob your solder on 2" thick, I don't think it unreasonable to conclude that the majority of the electrical signal passing through the joint will be passing through the physical contact points of the parts being joined together. I think it self evident that when one is not able to achieve a large area of physical contact between parts being joined together then of course the solder will be carrying a larger portion of the electrical signal.

 

[audiomortis]

if you "tin" the ends of your wires, aren't you then reducing the mechanical connection and putting more solder in the path?

 

[mono]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KZEE I believe the vast majority of Head-Fiers participating in this thread work with electrical parts that for the most part permit good physical contact between the parts being joined together, and that is what I was addressing in my post.

... To which I partly disagree. Which parts are these that have good physical contact? Even a resistor lead slipped into a plated hole has relatively poor contact quality until soldered.

Quote:

Solder itself is also not mirror smooth at the micron level, and in electrical joints where one is able to achieve a relatively LARGE area of good physical contact between the parts being soldered together, and providing you don't blob your solder on 2" thick, I don't think it unreasonable to believe that the majority of the electrical signal passing through the joint will be passing through the physical contact points of the parts being joined together.

Well I'd have to disagree here too, we can't really have it both ways, either there is a mechanical connection already with majority of electrical signal (and thus NO NEED for the solder at all), or there is more benefit to the solder than just this. Even though solder may not be "perfect", it is still a vastly better mechanical and electrical bond than the rough mating of two non-planar parts. It can't be assumed the electrical connection was already sound as this is the whole reason behind parts designed to be soldered rather than crimped... and if you have mating crimp connectors then solder would indeed, often be overkill.

Quote:

I think it self evident that when one is not able to achieve a large area of physical contact between parts being joined together then of course the solder will be carrying a larger portion of the electrical signal.

True, though that's almost always. Unless one is using high-quality crimps and mating connectors, there generally isn't a large area of physical contact between any two parts. If there were, the solder would be obviously unnecessary. I don't mean to be anal about these points but to be fair when considering the benefit of solder, most often it is an important mechanical AND electrical connection in addition to preventing air (oxidation or environmental contaminants) to accumulate.

 

[Todd R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd R Send me a self addressed stamped envelope and I'll send you 6" of Cardas solder to try out. That goes for any of you guys who want to try it. E-Mail

Ya know what?
6" just isn't enough, I'll make it 1 foot.

Funny, I'm offering free stuff and only 1 person has asked for a sample so far.